


i fear no monsters, for no monsters i see

by nykteris



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 15:52:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7228873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nykteris/pseuds/nykteris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karen is afraid of a number of things, but she isn’t afraid of Frank. (In which Karen lets Frank stay the night and tends to his wounds.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i fear no monsters, for no monsters i see

**Author's Note:**

> i've recently finally gotten the chance to catch up on daredevil and i've come to really grow fond of the relationship and dynamics between frank and karen. i honestly have no idea what this is because i wrote it on a whim, so apologies ;;;
> 
> the title is from 'monsters' by nikita gill.

Karen isn’t afraid of Frank.

She isn’t afraid of him the way they are. They look at him like he’s some sort of rabid and bloodthirsty animal, trigger-happy, a total nut job. Maybe he _is_ all of that. He feels no remorse, doesn’t regret killing the people he kills. _They deserved it_ , he tells Karen. _Every single one of them -- they all deserved it_.

Karen just says, _sit still_ , and she cleans out his wound for him. The bathroom tiles are stained with his blood now, just as they are every night. She learns to fix him up, learns how to handle a needle, learns how to stitch up his cuts and gashes.

She cleans up the bathroom, washes the towel she used to wipe away his blood. _The couch is all yours_ , she tells Frank. She sees his body visibly tense up but his shoulders fall lax after a few seconds and he nods, murmurs a _thanks_.

When she reaches the door of her bedroom, she says over her shoulder, _Good night, Frank._

He doesn’t reply.

There are a number of things Karen is afraid of, but Frank -- Karen isn’t afraid of Frank.

  
  
  
  


The first time Frank comes stumbling into her new apartment, he is bleeding all over and his right eye is swollen shut. His lip is busted badly. He doesn’t say anything, and she lets him in. He weighs a whole lot more than her and she is nearly crushed under the full weight of his body as she carries him to the sofa.

With a grunt, he plops down on the sofa, chest heaving. _Stay right here_ , Karen says to him, turning on her heel to get the first aid kit stashed in her bathroom. _Don’t think I can go anywhere else, not in this state_ , Frank quips, but there’s no sting to his words.

Karen comes back with the first aid kit, a bunch of towels and a glass of water for Frank. _I can handle myself_ , Frank grunts, pushing himself up to sit properly. He growls in pain, clutching his side and Karen sternly tells him, _Let me_.

His jaw is clenched in that stubborn way she’s somewhat grown accustomed to but he lets her take over. He bellows curses and guttural growls rip through his throat but Karen manages to clean and patch up most of his wounds.

 _You can stay the night_ , she tells him.

He falls asleep on the couch and she lies awake in her bed.

Her brand new carpet is dotted with his blood.

  
  
  
  


Sometimes, Karen sees softness in him. She sees it when he talks about his family, sees it when his brows are furrowed as he tries to stitch up a gash on his arm, sees it when she makes him stay for breakfast and prepares him some coffee, sees it when he’s watching her as she works deftly to clean away all the blood from his face, his arms.

She hands him a pillow and a spare blanket tonight and says, _Good night, Frank_.

She turns to walk back to her room when he says, his voice gruff and low, _Good night, ma’am._

He falls asleep on the couch and she falls asleep with a smile on her lips.

  
  
  
  


They say Frank is beyond forgiveness now. Karen thinks that maybe he doesn’t want forgiveness.

  
  
  
  


Karen thinks that people will tell her that she’s twisted for ever feeling safe with Frank around. They’ll say that she shouldn’t be comforted by his presence or find solace in him at all. They’ll look at her crazy, the way they all did when she, Matt and Foggy represented him in court when no one else would.

They only say those things because they are afraid, but not Karen.

It’s routine now: she cleans up the mess his wounds create in her otherwise clean bathroom, wiping away the blood from the floor tiles and draining the blood from the towels she uses on him. He offer help, she declines and tells him to get some rest. He walks to the couch -- a pillow and a blanket are laid out on it already -- and she walks to her room.

_Good night, Frank._

_Good night, Karen_.

She smiles at him and a corner of his lips tug upwards into a lopsided smile, a smile enough that he can manage with all the beating his face has gone through. His smile is as crooked as his nose now.

He falls asleep on the couch and she sleeps peacefully in her room.

Karen is afraid of a number of things, but she isn’t afraid of Frank.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are lovely and greatly appreciated!


End file.
